burnt black
by SetsuntaMew
Summary: collection of drabbles, centered around Judal, Hakuryuu, and their relationship.
1. red

-red-

 **xxxxx**

the rich, thick scent of dark red permeated everything as it spilled on vines and over bones and splattered on every pretty flower blooming under his cruel reign. who would have thought that judal had been the stabalizing influence on him?

royal blood ran through the streets, because familial relations meant nothing in earning forgiveness; every broken promise and assumed slight earned a quick end.

the throne room was a bloody mess of discarded love and fluttering, pitch black wings.

emperor hakuryuu has brought a just peace to kou under its truest heir and terror fueled fear will keep it that way.

 **xxxxx**

 _and embracing loud, vicious revenge is a better response than acknowledging the emptiness inside_


	2. magic

-magic-

 **xxxxx**

Judal tastes like magic, and bad ideas, but mostly peaches. He's a decadent treat, enthusiasm making up for any inexperience, and Hakuryuu doesn't know enough anyway, not enough to catch the rough edges of their abilities.

Judal wants to worship every inch of him, kiss the torn and dead skin of his arm and the unfeeling but feeling patches of useless, scarred flesh. But Hakuryuu is human and broken where Judal is otherworldly perfection, beauty in his clear skin and bright eyes and rich, red mouth.

There's magic humming under Judal's skin, so much that even Hakuryuu can feel it, can practically breathe in the swirls of rukh, almost enough to touch.

Hakuryuu revels in it, in the beautiful brushes with magic, in the way the world bends around Judal's whims, and vows to follow him until the pieces of the universe collapse under fearsome anger, wrenched to bits by their combined wrath.

Judal tastes like magic, and peaches, and a future.


	3. tar

-tar-

 **xxxxx**

Judal hurts others because he can - easily, so easily, with words and magic both - and because no one ever stopped him or taught him any other way to live. Pain and emptiness eat at his insides and the edges of every thought, dark like tar and sticking to anything positive that tries to creep through.

He pushes and picks at every thread of weakness he finds in others, pulling insecurities to the surface until no one wants to talk to him anymore.

It never helps, _ever_ , but Judal keeps trying, he tries and viciously tries more, fighting any kindness like a disease. He's cruel and callous and always waiting for the day that it finally makes him feel whole.


	4. rabbits

-rabbits-

 **xxxxx**

After Belial, after Hakuryuu has found him again, Judal watches him with the intense stare of a predator eyeing up his next meal. They're still at least a day's journey from their destination and still at odds with each other, years of friendship and distrust clashing and trying to make something that works.

Judal's whining grates on him, arms draped across Hakuryuu's shoulders and lips grazing his ear, complaining that he's hungry, he's _important_ ; Hakuryuu needs to feed him.

Food is easy, Belial's metal vessel making the rabbits docile, and Judal coos over their corpses before Hakuryuu has a chance to prepare them. It's after Judal gives them his appropriate amount of kisses and pets that he finally hands them back, and the two of them can eat.

It's sitting in a makeshift camp, bandaged and broken but still fighting for their ideals and revenge; it's a dreadful amount of work and planning finally coming to a head. But Judal is laid across his lap licking grease from his fingers and there's magic in the air, and it's a sweet comfort before their return to bleak reality.


	5. vines

-vines-

 **xxxxxx**

 _chapter warnings: pwp, tentacle (vine) sex, pheromones, and ftm trans Judal_

 **xxxxxx**

Judal is squirming in his lap, stuffed full and giddy on sex. It's something new, working magic into their intimate activities, and Hakuryuu wishes they'd thought of it sooner. Slick vines twist around Judal's legs, in his ass and cunt, dripping sickly sweet liquid as they move. Judal is always so enthusiastic, so eager to please, and yet somehow the pheromones have left Judal even more of a giddy fuck toy than usual, begging Hakuryuu for more, more, he needs more, he promises he can take it. It's tempting to let his own desires run wild, but Hakuryuu looks out for Judal's safety when no one else does, and he's already stretched fairly wide. So Hakuryuu builds him up slowly, one thin vine at a time, carefully adding to the many already curling inside him, until Judal is bulging with them, his usually flat stomach stretched from the mass of vines writhing in him. And yet he's still begging Hakuryuu for more, fingers digging into his shoulders for support as he rocks against Hakuryuu.

Praise and compliments make Judal's face flush even darker red, and he buries his face in the crook of Hakuryuu's neck to leave sloppy open mouthed kisses against it.

"Ah, ah, Hakuryuu, I want-" Judal begins before some of the vines slide across his clit, still sticky wet and smooth, and Hakuryuu uses them to rub circles around it. Judal gasps and moans and tries desperately to regain his train of thought, only succeeding in choking out Hakuryuu's name instead.

"Yes, Judal?" Rendering Judal speechless and incapable of coherent thoughts is always so satisfying, and Hakuryuu takes the time to appreciate the beautiful mess that Judal is. His face is still buried in Hakuryuu's neck as he works to string together a sentence.

"Don't, don't act so smug, you know I want more," Judal finally manages. The words are clipped between small gasps, and Hakuryuu can feel the struggle it takes to get them all out past the pheromones keeping Judal blissed out and loose.

Hakuryuu pats him on the head and runs a hand through Judal's sweat slicked bangs. "Ask politely."

Judal groans loudly, trailing into a whine at the end. "Please, Hakur-"

He gets what he wants: a vine shoved into his mouth, cutting him off and oozing more sweet pheromones. "Good boy," Hakuryuu says. Judal gags around the thick vine but greedily sucks on it anyway, pressing himself up closer to it. While he's distracted, Hakuryuu shifts Judal's hips so that he's positioned better. Some of the vines uncurl and slip out of his cunt, instead wrapping around his thighs to spread them.

"Is that the more you wanted?" he asks and gets a sloppy, enthusiastic nod from Judal as a response. Hakuryuu takes a shaky breath to steady himself, trying to keep some semblance of control over his desperate wants. It would be so easy to lose himself to the pheromones in the air, to drink down the sweet liquid and let its building warmth dictate his actions.

Hakuryuu takes one more deep breath. "Good." He slides into Judal's slick cunt slowly, relishing the way Judal squirms and purrs beneath him. Fucking him with magic is good, but it's nothing compared to the rush of watching the last shreds of Judal's dignity fall to tatters as his hips begin thrusting, and Judal moans for more.

Setting a rhythm is harder than usual, with vines still inside Judal and trying to wrap around Hakuryuu's cock, and the pheromones in the air making his head feel fuzzy despite his efforts to stay in control. Judal is no help either, too worn out to do much more than beg for more and moan Hakuryuu's name. But he manages to settle into one eventually, somewhat unevenly timed thrusts making Judal come apart around him.

It's more than Hakuryuu can take for long, and he'd be embarrassed about how quickly he's done any other time. Judal squeaks as Hakuryuu spills inside him, unable to make more noise than that, and knowing that Judal is just as overcome as him makes it good.

Judal curls up across his chest, sweat drenched and sticky from the various liquids drying on his skin. Hakuryuu makes an annoyed noise at the feeling and gently swats at Judal, but there's no real effort in it. When Judal doesn't move, he gives in and wraps an arm around him instead.

"You're going to be sore and unhappy tomorrow," Hakuryuu tells him. He should make them clean up, but now that Judal's settled in a comfortable way it's hard to muster the ambition to do so

"Mmn, no I won't." There's no energy in his voice, and Hakuryuu recognizes that Judal is moments from falling asleep.

"Yes, you will."

This time, Hakuryuu gets nothing more than a disagreeable murmur in response, and he gives up any hope of changing his mind. In the morning, he can worry about it, but for now Hakuryuu instead settles into the comforting warmth of their bed.


	6. apart

requested by an anon on tumblr: **"Don't you ever do that again!"**

* * *

It's not the same as before. Years have passed, the world has changed; they've had different experiences, worlds apart. Hakuryuu doesn't have anger eating a pit inside him, coloring his every action, leading him to vicious, destructive vengeance, to seek Judal's help.

He's not sure if they're the same anymore, after all this time.

They sit in silence, once they're alone, and Hakuryuu can hear their every soft breath in the stark silence.

"You know, space wasn't _nearly_ as quiet as you're being-" Judal begins.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Hakuryuu snaps, and Judal tries to laugh, but three years of loneliness and change and failure haven't changed him enough to keep him from Judal's arms.


	7. promises

another tumblr request, this one from EthanolMusket: **"It's not what it looks like…"**

* * *

From down the hall, Judal can feel something _off_ in the air. He enters his room to find it occupied. Someone lays half sprawled across his floor, blood trailed from the doorway and pooling around the intruder.

"What are you doing here?" he demands, wand in hand and on the offense. The man jumps, startled, and cringes in pain.

"Quiet! Ah-" he coughs, and there's a sickly wetness to it. Gross. "It's not what it looks like."

Judal stares down, considering his options. The stranger stares back up, stubborn pride in his slitted eyes, and he can't help but be intrigued. He's got power somewhere underneath his pretty looks, and Judal has come to terms with being drawn to bad ideas.

He laughs. "It looks like you've escaped and using my room as a hiding spot!" Judal jerks a finger at the man's eyes, finally noticing the pale scales around them. They match well with the delicate shackles that bind the man's, no, the dragon's wrists. "I can see what you are, you know."

"Then free me," the dragon boy says after a pause. "And I'll grant you any desire." He offers his bound wrists and meets Judal's gaze challengingly.

A dragon, bound in human form, bleeding out in his room. What a day. What an _opportunity_! He makes a show of pondering it over, considering his options, before settling.

Judal cracks a grin and answers. "Sure thing. I don't want anything right now, though. So I'll call on you later, when I do."

The dragon's eyes narrow, considering him carefully. Silence weighs heavy in the room and a beat passes, punctuated by the slow drip of blood draining from wounds. Finally, an answer.

"All right. One favor, to be granted at a later date. You have my word." He turns his head up haughtily. "Now free me."

Judal runs his hands over the shackles. They look merely decorative, but they're full of binding magic, twisting through the bright metal. Nothing he can't break, though. "What's your name?"

"You don't need that." His eyes are fixed on Judal's hands, watching them work over the shackles.

He pauses. "Yeah, I do! How else am I gonna hold you to that promise, huh?"

"...Hakuryuu."

Judal grins and pulls apart the final spell, shackles falling from Hakuryuu's wrists like useless, pretty jewelry. There's fleeting gratitude in his eyes, with just a hint of awe.  
"Judal. See you later, Hakuryuu."

There's a brief nod, and he's gone, out the window in a burst of light as he sheds his human form, fleeing from his prison, and Judal sees the barest hint of white wings spread wide against the sky.

A favor from a dragon is nothing small, and as he watches the breeze, Judal looks forward to when he sees Hakuryuu again.


	8. get out!

tumblr request from user smol-raph: **"Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?"**

* * *

"Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?"

Judal glances up, obviously unconcerned, shrugs, and goes back to picking at his nails. "Lost a bet with Kouha."

Hakuryuu sighs and gestures at his door. "I'm not part of whatever silly game you two are playing. Get out!"

"Nah. Kouha still has my pants." He looks entirely too calm for how exposed he is, sprawled comfortably across the bed, and Hakuryuu very purposefully averts his eyes.

"You are such a pest. Just borrow some of mine; I know you take my stuff all the time already." He's already digging through his clothes as he berates Judal, searching for something that will fit him. There's only a few inches difference in their height now, and Hakuryuu is sure he has at least _something_ that he won't mind losing to Judal.

Judal rolls to watch him, and somehow looks even more exposed. "Oooh, I get to wear your clothes?" he coos. "How intimate!"

Hakuryuu ignores him and busies himself with clothes instead, finally settling on some plain, oversized robes. Despite his intentions, his cheeks are warm from Judal's teasing, and he shoves the clothes into Judal's arms without looking at him. "Don't talk like that."

"Eh? You're the one overreacting. It's not like you haven't seen me like this before…" he trails off, grinning.

"When we were little kids! That was different!"

Judal cackles, and pushes himself off the bed. "You're so easy to rile up, Hakuryuu. It's good you're so cute, or I'd be meaner."

"Just get dressed, Judal."

He pulls the robes on, grinning the whole time. "Lighten up! I'm just teasing."

Hakuryuu shoves him towards the door. "Out!"

"I'm going, I'm going!"


	9. have your cake

request by tumblr user caliginouscoruscation: **"Have you lost your damn mind!?"**

* * *

Judal jumps up on the kitchen counter, right next to tonight's dinner ingredients, and swings his legs without care. Hakuryuu tries to shoo him away, but he's ignored. "So, I've got the _best_ idea-"

"No," Hakuryuu says firmly, cutting him off before he can say any more nonsense.

"What?" Judal whines. "You haven't even heard it yet!"

He grabs the raw sliced steak from Judal's wandering hands and moves the rest of the food out of his reach. "I don't need to. I'm sure it's just some ridiculously stupid-"

"No, no, it's great!" Judal interrupts, full of enthusiasm. "See, there's this bakery giving away cake, and there's a competition, and we could _totally_ win!" He nearly hits Hakuryuu in the face in his excitement, arms flailing wildly as he explains his plan. "We need a sappy story about _why_ we should win, but it's done by most likes on Instagram - so it's a popularity contest - and you know, **I'm** popular, so _free cake for us_!"

Hakuryuu throws his marinated steak, garlic, ginger, and sliced onions into the wok, breathes deeply, and turns to question Judal. "Why, exactly, are you including me in this?"

He shrugs. "Oh, it's for couples cause it's like, a wedding cake, or some shit." Judal answers flippantly, like he's not spewing absolute bullshit.

"Have you lost your damn mind!?" He nearly drops his spatula, and grips it tighter in frustration. "We're not a couple!"

"Well, yeah, but _they_ don't know that." He grins. "We could get free cake!"

Hakuryuu turns back to his food, stirring vigorously, and tries to calm himself. "I swear, you come up with these things just to annoy me."

Judal shoves his phone in Hakuryuu's face. "Nuh uh! See, look-"

" **No** , Judal."

"Aw, come on! Kougyoku already said no."

Hakuryuu turns back to look at him, and he can see the realization of 'I've made a mistake' dawn on Judal's face. "I'm not even your first choice?"

Judal has the decency to look sheepish. "Er, I mean, she told me to ask you…"

"She did not!" Hakuryuu grabs his bowl of carefully sliced vegetables, and tosses them in. "You are a terrible liar."

"Nooooo, don't put vegetables in, that's gross! Ew!" Judal complains loudly.

He wishes he had more prepared, just to spite him. "It's not _for you_. You invited yourself over."

Judal makes a face at him. "You're a terrible friend."

"What, because I won't pretend to date you?"

"More like pretend to be engaged, but whatever. Look, I've even got a great story for our runaway romance."

Hakuryuu pours the sauce in slowly, stirring to coat everything and warm it up. "See if the rice is done," he says, purposefully ignoring Judal's continued discussion of his ridiculous plan.

He pouts, but hops down from the counter, freeing Hakuryuu's access to his spices. Finally. "Yeah, it's ready. I'll share the cake, you know."

"I can make my own cake if I want it."

"Yeah, but _free_ cake!" Judal leans over his shoulder to stare into the wok, and Hakuryuu has to smack his hand away from the piping hot food inside.

"It's almost done. Be patient."

Judal whines petulantly, and licks Hakuryuu's ear.

"Gross! Are you a child?"

He sticks his tongue out. "No. Come _on_ , be my fake fiancé! I want cake!"

Hakuryuu instead hands him a plate of food, vegetables carefully excluded. "Eat your dinner before you start going on about dessert."


	10. dizzy

request by tumblr user blame-the-anime: **"You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes."**

* * *

Hakuryuu bends over, hands on his knees, wheezing loudly. They've been moving nonstop since the park opened a few hours ago, Judal dragging him from one ride to the next, and his throat is burning. Usually he can deal with outings like this, but with Judal running everywhere, he can't keep up. Maybe if he loses Judal in the crowd for a bit, he can catch his breath. He glances around, looking for a bench.

Instead, Judal appears in front of him, seemingly from nowhere. "Hey, Hakuryuu, what's keeping you? I wanna get to The Exterminator before a crazy line forms. It's inside and full of rats, come on, come on!"

"Rats?" Hakuryuu questions. Why would they want to ride something with rats in it?

He laughs. "You know, like the cars? You ride in gross looking rats!"

He nods, and attempts to calm his breathing. "Sure. Just give me a minute."

"Can't you have your minute _there_? I don't wanna wait in a long line!" Judal whines, and pulls at Hakuryuu's hand, dragging him across the park.

"Wait-" he tries, and his throat aches, tightening as he tries to breathe in, and Hakuryuu is half in Judal's arms to keep himself from collapsing. He wheezes some more, and Judal stops trying to run along, finally getting the hint.

"You fainted….straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn't have to go to such extremes," he says, grinning down at Hakuryuu.

If he wasn't in the middle of an asthma attack, he would strangle Judal. "I- get my inhaler. Asshole."

Judal digs through their bag, finally pulling it out and handing it over. Hakuryuu gratefully takes it and enjoys the sweet, refreshing feeling of full breaths of air. Wordlessly, he sits on a nearby bench, Judal dutifully trailing behind.

After a few moments of silence and Hakuryuu's breathing returning to normal, he gently shoves Judal. "You're a terrible boyfriend."

"We're not riding my ride, are we?"

"Maybe later. I think, for now, The Turtle sounds nice and safe."

Judal groans, but goes along anyway. "What if I win you a really big stuffed animal?"

"Are you going to use magic to cheat?" he asks, trying to hide a smile.

"They're all rigged! I have to!"

Hakuryuu laughs. "I said I'd think about it. Come on, I still want to enjoy the day with you. Just at a slower pace, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he answers, and takes his hand, twining their fingers together.


	11. hate you

a request from tumblr user judalva: **"I wish I could hate you."**

* * *

Judal sits perched on the edge of Hakuryuu's bed, rambling about the state of affairs in Rakushou. It's one part useful and two parts off topic descriptions of what Judal ate for lunch, but it's a distraction from silence, from the gnawing, empty pit in the core of his very being, threatening to swallow him whole.

Hakuryuu watches him, bursting with energy and enthusiasm, and tries to feel anything beyond bland interest.

"Hey, Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu! Are you listening to me? "Judal is suddenly in his face, waving a hand in his eyes, and Hakuryuu swats it away.

"Of course," he says shortly.

"Yeah? Then answer my question." Judal looks smug, and Hakuryuu's mind wanders. A question? Did he really ask something? He can't remember.

"Hey, look." Judal sits cross legged in front of him, and the smug looks is replaced with a worried one. "You gotta stop thinking about it."

"Thinking about what?"

Judal pokes Hakuryuu's chest. "You know. Being fallen and shit. It's no good if you dwell on it."

"I'm not," he snaps, trying to ignore the countless hours he's spent staring at nothing, the rukh thick enough that even he can see the fluttering black wings, the want to destroy and do nothing all at once, and-

Judal shakes him. "See, that, where you're spacing out? Don't do that." He swats some of the rukh clouding the air between them, and Hakuryuu takes a deep breath.

"Are you mocking me?" he asks slowly. This is new territory, this quiet offered help, instead of a competition, a fight, using every turn to prove their own worth to the other.

"What? No! I'm trying to help." Judal leans back and stares at the ceiling, considering his answer in the silence, before sitting back up. "It eats at you, if you let it," he says quietly. "And I don't want to see you fail."

"I'm fine." It's the easy answer, the one he wants to be true, and Judal frowns.

"Bull fucking shit, no you're not. You're a shitty liar." And then his face breaks into a mocking grin. "Where's the righteously angry Hakuryuu, ready to fight everyone?"

"Judal-"

"What happened to all that power and drive and your plans? What, you gonna sit in here and cry instead?"

"Shut up!" he yells, flustered and angry at Judal, and himself for ever thinking that Judal could possibly be nice and care.

Judal cackles. "That's better!"

"You-"

"I'm helping!" And Judal shoots him a soft, honest smile, before hopping off the bed.

"I wish I could hate you," Hakuryuu tells him, and it's almost a lie.

"But you don't, right? I'm very lovable."

Hakuryuu shakes his head. "No, you're not."

Judal sticks his tongue out and heads to the door. "Rude! See if I come by later now!"


	12. dreams

a request from my bff arahith: **"Come over here and make me."**

* * *

"Hey. Hey. **Hey**." **  
**

There's a voice in the back of his head, clawing at the very edges of his thoughts, working its way through his dreams, and Hakuryuu tries to tune it out. His dream is pleasant, a warm afternoon in the gardens, late day sun streaming down through the trees, and he feels at peace. He wants to sit still, think of nothing for once, but the strange voice threatens to disturb that.

A desperate catch of breath, and then- "No, no, don't you dare shut me out. Hakuryuu!"

It's his name that gives them away, the whining pleading tone that Hakuryuu hasn't heard in months, and he knows who it is.

"Judal?"

"In the flesh! Er, wait. No. Just in your head, but whatever!" Hakuryuu can feel Judal's grin even if he can't see him, and his heart hurts for missing him.

"Where are you?"

A grimace. "Eh, you know. Around. I- oh, shit. Later! Don't try to block me out next time!"

Hakuryuu jerks awake, feeling wholly unsatisfied and more worried than ever.

x･x･x

Next time, he can actually see Judal. He's lounging like a spoiled pet on a chaise lounge Hakuryuu doesn't recognize, and he shoots Hakuryuu a lazy smile almost as bright as the sun he's laying in.

"There you are. Where have you been?" It's a dream, yes, but Hakuryuu can't shake the feeling that he hasn't just conjured Judal from his subconscious.

Judal has the decency to look sheepish. "Dunno. Can't really- ugh. This is making my head hurt."

"You've been missing for months! I've been so worried!" Hakuryuu snaps. "And now you just show up in my dreams like it's nothing?"

"Yeah. Look, Hakuryuu, I can't. It's not my choice to be vague, I just-" Judal stops and at clutches at his head in pain. "Seriously, I miss you. Don't yell at me."

Hakuryuu cautiously moves to sit next to him, and Judal twists to make room. "So you're not real?"

"What? No! Of course I'm fucking real. Just in your head." He looks put out.

"That's reassuring." But Hakuryuu considers this, considers that he may be losing his mind, and sighs. "All right. It's. It's good to see you again."

"Me too, shit, Hakuryuu. I've missed you and your cute, bitchy face."

"Maybe try not insulting me when you're trying to be nice."

"Fuck that!" Judal grins and throws an arm around Hakuryuu's shoulders. "You know me better than that!"

Hakuryuu laughs for the first time in far too long, and Judal laughs with him.

x･x･x

It's a murky, gray backdrop this time; it's not one of his usual dreams, and Judal looks uncharacteristically solemn.

"Hey," he says, trying to cover with a grin. It looks forced, and Hakuryuu frowns.

"Hello, Judal. What's with this?" he asks, gesturing at their gloomy surroundings.

"Oh, you know. Just being mopey. I- Nevermind."

"Judal," Hakuryuu says firmly, and Judal's false grin crumbles.

"It's what's happening. All this dream communication bullshit. I've been trying to piece together-" and he breaks off to hold his head. There's a painful ringing in the air, piercing through the gloom, and then Judal continues ranting loudly. "It just fucking hurts to think about which is bullshit! I'm stuck somewhere, and I can't remember where, or why, or anything close to useful, and I can barely even do this-" Judal screeches and blasts ice spears across the barren landscape. He's pulling at his bangs, heaving in frustration, and Hakuryuu doesn't know how to help.

"Judal-"

"No, it's fucking stupid, I hate forgetting important shit all the time and this is ACTUALLY FUCKING IMPORTANT and-" he breaks off again, and there's a loud, dry sob. "I don't want to be trapped here forever."

Hakuryuu puts a hand on Judal's shoulder and hates how immaterial and distant it feels. "You'll figure it out. And then I'll help, and… it'll work."

Judal gives him a dark look and brushes the hand off his shoulder. "Do you even believe that?"

He shrugs. "I want to believe it, at least, and I have great faith in your abilities." It's not much hope, he knows, but he also knows how stubborn Judal can be once he decides on a goal.

"Stop being so fucking positive. It doesn't suit you." There's a uncharacteristically deep and serious frown on Judal's face, and it looks out of place there. Hakuryuu doesn't like it.

"Come over here and make me, if you're so frustrated with my encouragement." He tries to make it sound haughty, to rile Judal up.

Judal laughs hollowly. "You know I can't."

Hakuryuu grins challengingly. "Well, you'll just have to figure it out so you can throw a temper tantrum properly."

Judal glares at him, anger and impetuousness fighting against the deep despair. "Maybe I will!" he snaps back, shoving Hakuryuu away as he gets up to stomp off.

This time when Hakuryuu jerks awake, thrown from his dreams by Judal's annoyance, he finally feels like they're getting somewhere.


	13. after

some post canon fluff, with minor spoilers, for tumblr user deer-of-light!

* * *

In small moments, Judal is reminded of why he chose Hakuryuu as his king.

He's powerful, yes, but he's far from the most powerful when it comes down to just raw magoi; Kouen and Sinbad are far superior in that regard. But it's more, more than he can quite put into words.

Hakuryuu, somehow, has the words to put him at ease when he's incoherently frustrated, lost in a new world that has no need for a violently powerful magi. Judal has built his worth around his ability to destroy, to rend the world in two with a wave of his hand, and he's directionless with no wars to fight. He's one step from slipping into a dark void of depravity, but he's got Hakuryuu pulling him back to focus on something else.

They're nestled away in a corner of Rakushou, disconnected from the royal palaces and the memories associated with them. Al Tharmen is gone but their influences and scars aren't, and neither of them want to live so close to them anymore.

Instead, Hakuryuu spins plants around injured children who come by, working life magic through cuts and scrapes before sending them on their way. It's different, to watch Hakuryuu mend when he used to destroy, and it aches knowing that Judal missed watching him change. But it's good, in a way, because he's patient with Judal, willing to work with him while he struggles to adapt, and Hakuryuu keeps it together for the both of them.

So it works, in its own way, even if it's not the future Judal dreamed of. Hakuryuu isn't on a throne, with them lording over the world together, but it works.


	14. lies

-lies-

 **xxxxx**

"Hey. Hey, your love's a real drag."

Hakuryuu glances up from his desk to see Judal sprawled on the floor, drawing patterns on it in all too permanent ink.

"I hope you plan on cleaning that up," he responds, unperturbed.

A loud sigh.

"That's it?"

"What else do you want? You're making a mess."

"Some emotion, maybe! After all we've done together, all the shit we've done; I'm a human being, you know? Not just some toy to play with when you're bored!"

"Aren't you used to being a tool of Al Thamen?"

Judal makes a small noise, something akin to the breaking of a childhood memory, and then lets out a sharp, harsh laugh. "I guess that's all I am, huh? A magi for you to use."

A beat of silence, of Hakuryuu's brush moving across a scroll, and then the floor around Judal cracks and shatters in a burst of magic.

"Go fuck yourself, Hakuryuu."

It doesn't stop Judal from joining him in bed later, in the dark and hidden hours, all angry teeth and sharp nails, whispered lies that this is the last time, as he lets out his frustrations.


	15. hurricane

-hurricane-

 **xxxxx**

His love is a hurricane: overwhelming and all-consuming. He's a whirlwind of kisses and confession and compliments, mixed with the same rude teasing and insults he's always done. Judal is unbridled power, his magic a storm in its own right, and he chafes at being contained.

and yet-

He'll happily obey Hakuryuu's orders, sit by his side and work instead of follow his own destructive whims.

Sometimes it's too much and Hakuryuu feels like he can't keep up with Judal anymore, at least not like this, not with this kind of emotional vulnerability, this boundless trust.

But he can't can't can't say it, can't show weakness, not to anyone, not even Judal-

 **xxxxx**

'I love you' he wants to say.

'I will kill Kouen' comes out instead, but Judal understands. It's a gift of war, of destruction, of a chance for him to channel the raging power inside him, and that's enough for them.


	16. on the breeze

a request from dragonofeternal: **"If we live through this, I swear..."**

* * *

"Judal, there's no magic in this world," Hakuryuu reminds him, only to hear him whine in response. "You know this."

"Just cause I know it doesn't mean I have to like it," he says petulantly, stabbing a dumpling with his chopsticks. Hakuryuu can't watch him eat; it's too embarrassing to see how bad he is at using chopsticks.

A breeze blows across the roof, and Judal sighs. "Look, I know you think there's no magic, but-"

"If there was magic, shouldn't you of all people know about it?" Hakuryuu cuts him off. He loves the man, but sometimes he gets caught on the subject and nothing will tear it from him. Hakuryuu flexes the plastic fingers of his prosthetic arm. "Besides, you're not the only one who misses magic."

Judal at least has the good grace to look ashamed. "Shit, I know. Sorry."

He shrugs. "It's fine. I'm honestly just glad I found you, and that I wasn't completely out of my mind with all the dreams."

"If you're crazy, I'm crazy!" Judal says with a laugh. "Mass hallucination or something? Whatever, I'm glad we're together."

Hakuryuu goes back to his lunch, a smile settling comfortably on his face. Judal fidgets for a bit, trying to eat more, before going to stand at the edge of the roof. They sit in a calm silence, the distant sounds of the city a soft background noise, until Judal turns to wave him over.

"Hey, Hakuryuu, can you come look at this for me?" he asks. Hakuryuu sets his food down, chopsticks carefully laid beside them, and goes over. Beneath them, cars whiz by on the busy city street, looking like tiny models from their height.

"What is it?" he asks, and instead of answering, Judal slings an arm around his shoulders. There's a beat of silence, where they're perched on the edge, and then Judal throws all his weight into pushing them off.

It's quick, so sudden that Hakuryuu can't brace himself, and he screams as they fall together.

"What's wrong with you?" he yells, and Judal only cackles.

"I want to fly!"

Unbelievable. He's going to die because Judal is so much stupider than he thought possible. "If we live through this, I swear-"

Judal just keeps laughing, with the ground rushing up to meet them, and Hakuryuu squeezes his eyes shut in anticipation.

And yet-

At the last second, there's a rush of air, the wind around them, catching them, and they're soaring up, up, up, away from the deadly impact, and into the sky.

Judal is hooting with joy. "See, I told you Hakuryuu, I know I could do it!"

Clinging to Judal as they fly, Hakuryuu doesn't know whether he should punch him it kiss him. He settles on yelling at him again. "Why did you do that?! We could have died! This is-"

Judal cuts him off this time, grinning broadly. "I just had a feeling this would be the time."

And against the clear blue sky, Hakuryuu swears he can almost make out rukh swirling around Judal in the breeze, and he knows Judal is telling the truth. Even if it was dangerous, and stupid, and a terrible plan, he knows he will always trust Judal.

"At least warn me next time," Hakuryuu says, and Judal laughs warmly in response.


	17. jokes

a short request from an anon on tumblr: **Inside Jokes**

* * *

Judal always liked to think of Hakuryuu as a good friend. His best friend, even. And now that they're dating, more than ever he thinks they should have some slick inside jokes. Just so everyone really understands how much time they spend together, and so they can have something special to laugh about together.

There's a problem though. Hakuryuu is fucking terrible at jokes.

Judal tries, over and over, to even make a joke that Hakuryuu will laugh at. But his humor involves teasing, and he nearly makes Hakuryuu cry more than once.

And so he tries setting up ridiculous situations that they can laugh about together later. He locks them out of their apartment one day, drops a full container of eggs on the floor another, and yet Hakuryuu just patiently cleans up his messes. It would be sweet if Judal didn't have something else in mind, damn it!

Eventually, Judal gives up, tired of what seems like inevitable failure, and flops on their couch with a loud sigh.

Hakuryuu glances over. "What's wrong?"

"Pff. Nothing." He doesn't bother trying to explain; it's not like Hakuryuu will get it anyway.

"Oh, so it has nothing to do with all your terrible plots to make me laugh more?"

Judal jerks up so quickly he nearly falls off the couch. "You- what?" he splutters. Hakuryuu's sitting calmly but there's the beginnings of a smug smile, and Judal stares incredulously. "You actually picked up on it? And you didn't say anything?"

"I'm not completely stupid," he answers calmly. "I just found it funnier to watch you get more and more desperate."

"But Hakuryuu," Judal whines, distraught. "How are we ever going to have inside jokes together?"

Hakuryuu grins at him. "I think these ridiculous shenanigans count, don't they? I know I'll be laughing about them for awhile, at least."


	18. ignored heroes

a request for marvel-is-lyfe on tumblr: juhaku + superhero au

* * *

'The Black Sun' still strikes fear into the hearts of citizens, and who's to blame them? He spent years terrorizing the city, laughing at the casualties he caused, and slipping through the fingers of anyone who tried to stop him. No one seems to think he's capable of turning over a new leaf, unless it's part of a devious plot to gain everyone's trust before striking them at their weakest.

It still hurts though, when he tries to do right and it's thrown back in his face.

"This fucking sucks," Judal says, gesturing at the 5 o'clock news playing on their tiny TV. "We were helping! Sinbad didn't even show up until after we'd fixed everything!"

Hakuryuu hands him a peach and sits next to him on the couch. "People aren't quick to change their minds."

"They sure fucking did when we teamed up," he grumbles.

"Well, we did publically murder a politician."

Judal groans. "Yeah well, we were taking out undercover Al Tharmen members. Not my fault most people are too stupid to realize that."

The news blares on, practically singing praises to Sinbad, and Judal wants to throw something at it. Lucky for the TV, all he's holding is his half eaten peach, and he likes it too much to throw it away.

"Seriously, what more do these people want from me? A signed letter from Sinbad and his little friends say it's all sunshine and rainbows between us now? Cause lemme tell you, that ain't happening."

Hakuryuu shakes his head and sighs. "You did yell 'We're trying to help you morons, stop fucking crying!' at a group of school children."

"I am trying," he whines, flopping into Hakuryuu's lap. The TV switches to cover the week's weather, and he feels Hakuryuu shift to grab the remote and turn it off.

"Just be patient," Hakuryuu tell him.

"I hate patience."

"I know you do."

Judal lays there for a bit, enjoying Hakuryuu absentmindedly petting his hair, and tries to come up with some fresh ideas. "Maybe I should get a new costume…"

"This is your third this month. Maybe try sticking with the same one for awhile."

"I dunno, this one doesn't show off my abs enough," he explains.

"You aren't supposed to be eye candy."

Judal laughs. "Right, that's what I've got you for."

And even if everything isn't perfect, he's got Hakuryuu, blushing and flustered, to help him stay focused and positive.


	19. idol amusements

for EthanolMusket, who requested juhaku & mentor/idol/hero. I ended up picking Judal as a pop idol for funsies~

* * *

There's an image to uphold in the industry, or at least one that Judal's managers have decided to follow. He should be every teenage girl's dream come true: beautiful, talented, funny, sweet, and above all else, he should be seen as obtainable. Not that most people would ever meet him face to face, but… If he's single, every love song could be about you, random girl just waiting for your chance.

Hakuryuu finds it hilarious, personally. All the contracts and money in the world won't change who Judal is, even if it is enough for him to put on a show. He's full of energy on stage, hyping everyone up and reveling in the attention, content to play the part at least temporarily.

"Fuckin' teenage brats," he whines the moment he's backstage, peeling off the outer layer of his stage clothes and shoving them in some poor assistant's arms.

"You're a bit of a brat, even if you're not a teenager anymore," Hakuryuu teases, handing him a cold water bottle.

He gets a dramatic sigh in response, before Judal downs half the bottle.

Judal is in sweatpants and t-shirt with his own face on it, halfway through getting his makeup taken off, when he swivels his chair to gesture at Hakuryuu. He nearly takes out the assistant helping him in his enthusiasm but waves off the complaints.

"Hey. Hey, Hakuryuu, you hungry?"

Hakuryuu glances at the clock to see the numbers 12:37 staring back. "I could be. Why?"

"I'm in the mood for donuts. Come on, let's go, I want some!"

"You know it's after midnight, right?" Hakuryuu knows Judal, though, and he knows that they'll be off to find donuts no matter the time.

Judal shrugs. "Whatever. Here, lemme get some better makeup on, and we'll roll." And with that, he shoves his assistant aside and makes himself up, subtler than his on stage look, but still more over the top than most people would go out with. It's very him, and Hakuryuu goes looking for a hoodie for himself and Judal.

They sneak out the back, before anyone can tell Judal's managers, before they can get caught, and slip into Hakuryuu's car like rebellious teenagers.

"We're going to be in so much trouble for this. Well, I am at least," Hakuryuu tells them as they pull out of the parking lot.

"Nah, you're supposed to cater to my whims! And I wanted donuts," Judal says, rolling his window down to stick his head out.

Hakuryuu resists telling him to stay inside the car, and instead breathes in the crisp night air. "I should have gone out and gotten you some, not taken you on a joy ride."

"But I like joy rides," he says petulantly. "Hey, where are we even going at this time of night?"

"A gas station? I'm not sure yet, I just wanted to get away before we got caught and this whole little trip got cut short."

Judal fiddles with his phone, pulling up a list of local bakeries. "Man, none of these places are open late. What's up with that shit? Oh, wait. Ha! I found one!"

"You found a bakery that's open at nearly one in the morning?"

"Yeah, it's some 24 hour place. It even specializes in donuts, see?" Judal tries to shove the phone in his face, and Hakuryuu nearly swerves on the road.

"I'm driving!"

"Oh right, whatever. Yeah. Anyway, let's go there," Judal tells him, sounding more apologetic than his words would imply, and he reaches over to hold Hakuryuu's hand.

And it's nice, finally, to be just the two of them, away from prying eyes. Because Hakuryuu knows that despite how he's supposed to behave, Judal's heart is his.


	20. reunion

a request for juhaku + a reunion kiss

* * *

Nothing is how Judal imagined, in the elaborate fantasies and dreams he had of his and Hakuryuu's future together. Even after Aladdin ruined it with his stupid attack, it shouldn't have been that different. He was supposed to be back sooner, he was supposed to stroll into the palace to find his king on the throne, dressed in emperor's finery, with that confident smile that Judal loves so much twisting into a look of surprise and relief. They were supposed to rule over Kou together, crushing all of Hakuryuu's enemies until the world was remade in their vision.

Years on a dragon flying over the Dark Continent didn't fit in that plan, but Judal had assumed he'd come back to Hakuryuu still in charge.

But-

Judal kicks the path he's following and sighs. He's sure Hakuryuu is out there, somewhere, but the world is huge and expansive and he just wants to find him before they're old and dying.

There's the sound of footsteps further away but approaching, around a bend on the twisting mountain path, and they're heavy enough that they're probably another person. He's half tempted to fly off the path to avoid human interaction, but they're too close at this point, and-

"Judal?"

It's just his name, but it speaks volumes, soft and surprised and hopeful, and Judal is moving forward, flinging himself into Hakuryuu's arms before he can think. There's some clattering noises as their staves hit the ground together and then Hakuryuu is gripping him tightly, pulling him closer, and Judal buries his head in his neck. Hakuryuu smells so familiar, like coming home to all the best things he was missing, and Judal never wants to let go again.

Hakuryuu pulls back first, though only just enough to look him over. And it's overwhelming in a way, to see Hakuryuu stare at him with such open devotion and relief that Judal can't take it for long, and leans forward to kiss him instead.

It's not the outcome he dreamed of but it's better, a sweet reunion when he'd nearly given up hope, and just having Hakuryuu back is more than enough.


	21. forbidden kiss

prompt: a 'hope we don't get caught' kiss

* * *

Humans are not supposed to associate with anything that lives beyond the walls of the city. It is dangerous out there, full of nasty creatures just waiting to lead innocent humans into traps, desperate to catch someone stupid enough to venture out of safety, and to take them away. If you are unlucky enough to run into something, you will never be heard from again.

But…

This is different.

Hakuryuu bites down on Judal's neck and he makes the most delightful noise. Judal grinds up against him, clawed fingers nearly ripping through the thick cloth of Hakuryuu's robes as he grips tighter, needy and beautiful shoved against a hidden broken section of the wall.

He kisses his way up Judal's neck, nipping at his ear before finally giving into Judal's pleading to kiss him properly. Hakuryuu has learned the right angles for their lips to meet to avoid catching Judal's sharp fangs, how to nip at his soft lower lip without ending up with tiny cuts later, and it's all worth it for the sounds Judal makes.

Neither of them are supposed to be here, hands all over each other, the fear of getting caught never quite leaving the backs of their minds. But Judal is so sweet and fun to talk to, and so lovely to touch that Hakuryuu can't bring himself to stop.


	22. dinner shenanigans

prompt: cooking together:

* * *

Hakuryuu still can't decide how he feels about cooking with Judal. He knows that Judal means well, and it hasn't been terrible, but it has been a bit overwhelming.

"Why are you so insistent on helping in the kitchen lately?" Hakuryuu finally asks one day, stressed from cleaning up another mess.

Judal looks up from the potato that he's mangling. "I dunno. I like being around you," he says, and then nearly removes part of his finger with the knife. He swear loudly and Hakuryuu takes it from him, carefully placing it out of Judal's reach.

"But you don't even like cooking. It just stress us both out."

There's some incoherent whining, and Judal pretending that he knows how to fix the potato he disfigured, until he gives up and looks sheepishly at Hakuryuu. "I read online that cooking together is good for couples, and I wanted to make sure we were happy…"

Hakuryuu shakes his head. "But we are happy together."

"I know! But what if we weren't doing the right things to stay happy?"

"Of all the pieces of relationship advice for you to get stuck on, you found one that doesn't even bring you joy?"

Judal is red and embarrassed, and looks like he might be one step away from yelling. "I thought it would work!"

Hakuryuu steps closer and takes Judal's hands, holding them together with his. "Shh, it's fine. I care more about what makes you happy, too. If one of us is miserable then that's no good," he says softly before kissing Judal on the forehead. It's nice, feeling some of the tension leave from just that. "Why don't we find something to do together that we both enjoy?"


	23. day and night

this one is a combination request of **a morning kiss** and **a night kiss**

* * *

In the morning, when the world is still bathed in the soft light of the barely risen sun and the dew is still glistening on the trees, Hakuryuu carefully crawls out of bed. It's best to get an early start to the day, and his life is built around a precise routine. It's something he's tried and failed to introduce Judal to, so for now he does his best not to disturb him.

Hakuryuu kisses him softly on the forehead twice, once before he gets dressed and once before he leaves the room, and seeing Judal smile in his sleep leaves him feeling warm and happy for the rest of the morning.

At night, at the end of a busy day in court, Hakuryuu wants nothing more than to lay in bed and relax, to clear his mind of the stresses of the day, and end the day calm. But Judal is awake and energetic once the sun sets, and even if he's not dragging Hakuryuu back out of the room on an impulse adventure, he's not ready to sit still.

Hakuryuu can barely keep up with Judal's kisses, peppered on his cheeks and down his neck, but it's a lovely rush to have Judal in his lap, telling him he missed him all day, complaining that court is too boring, and that Hakuryuu should just spend his time by his side.


	24. cuddling

prompt: "cuddling"

* * *

Cuddling with Judal is always a bit of a challenge. He has trouble sitting still, first of all, and so even when they're curled up on the couch watching a movie together he can't stay in the same place for the whole time.

He's all angles, too, knobbly knees and sharp elbows poking Hakuryuu every time he moves. Judal wants to sit in his lap but it feels like his ass is stabbing his thighs and Hakuryuu has to push him off before it's been long.

"You're rude," Judal tells him, curling against his side instead.

Hakuryuu wraps an arm around his shoulders, partially to pull him closer, but mostly to try to hold him in one place for more than a few minutes. "It felt like you were drilling into my thigh."

"My ass is just too fine for you," he answers, laughing and taking a hand full of popcorn. "See if I ever let you touch it again."

"Don't lie."


	25. running

a combination of two prompts, **first kiss + caught in a storm**

* * *

They're supposed to be running far away, as far as possible, free from Gyokuen and Al Tharman's reaches, but the rain has halted their progress. Hakuryuu is loathe to lose valuable travel time, and Judal is whining about wanting to stay somewhere fancier, but there's no hope in making it through the mountains in this weather.

There's an abandoned cottage well off the beaten path, tucked into the woods, and Hakuryuu thinks it might have been an old hunting cabin at one point. Its new purpose is their safespace, at least for the night. It's small and the roof leaks in a corner but it's solid and hidden, which is more important than anything else at this point.

"This is terrible," Judal bitches, gesturing at the slowly dripping roof. "We're gonna get flooded and I don't wanna drown in my sleep."

Hakuryuu settles into the opposite corner. "You'll be fine. We don't have much of a choice."

He rolls his eyes. "I _knooow_. But I can still hate it."

"We're not going to be living as comfortably anymore, Judal. We had to give that up so we could-"

Judal sighs and cuts him off. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, we're living on the edge of everything, on the table scraps of society." He looks tired and worried, and a bit like a drowned cat. Hakuryuu can't remember the last time he saw him without impeccable makeup, but it's...nice, in a way. It makes him feel more human, less Al Tharman's pampered, dangerous pet, and Hakuryuu smiles over at him.

"It'll get better."

He grumbles but plops on the ground next to Hakuryuu, snuggling close. "I'm wet and miserable and I don't have anyone to blame, so I'm stealing your body heat," Judal says as he wraps an arm around Hakuryuu's waist.

The walls are surprisingly thick, warm enough to sit against despite the chilly weather outside, and they sit in comfortable silence together for a while, just listening to the sound of the rain pounding on the roof. It's peaceful, despite the stress, despite the uncertainty of their future, and Hakuryuu rests his head against Judal.

"...I always liked you, Hakuryuu. You know that, right?" Judal says softly. "Like, as kids, you were always really special to me and now- Well. You're still the most important person to me."

Hakuryuu shifts a little, to look at Judal directly. "I know. I mean, you're important to me too, and I. I really missed you, when we weren't talking."

"Hey, that was your fault!" Judal interjects, and Hakuryuu shakes his head.

"I thought you were loyal to Al Tharman by choice, and you weren't exactly making it easy to believe otherwise. But. I'm glad we're in this together."

Judal pushes some of Hakuryuu's bangs out of his face, and his hand lingers on his cheek. "Can I," he begins, before pulling back a little. But Hakuryuu saw it in his eyes, the raw, honest affection, and he understands where Judal is trying to go with this conversation.

He leans up the rest of the way, kissing Judal firmly, and their hands meet between them. Judal's cheeks are pink when they part, just enough to breathe, and Hakuryuu smiles softly at him.

"I understand," he assures Judal. "I do. Me too."

And the relief and joy on his face gives Hakuryuu hope for their future, as unsure as it is, because they're in it together.


	26. support

prompt: **tending an injury**

* * *

After Belial, after overthrowing the encampment, after defeating his mother, they're a mess. Broken and bleeding but not beaten, never beaten, with no one else to rely on but each other, they're left to pick up the pieces of each other's pain.

Judal, despite all his complaining, tries to hide his injuries, laughing off the pain until he nearly collapses while they're working. Hakuryuu has to force him to sit down, the soft glow of Zagan's power soothing the pain and halting the infection. He whines the whole time, but Hakuryuu can feel Judal relax under his touch, and he knows that's thanks.

They barely have time to rest between each fight, haphazardly wrapping bandages around wounds while burning through magoi, and hoping it holds. Hakuryuu pushes it to the back of his mind, hoping it will fix itself in the background, and pushes forward.

Eventually it's Judal turn to stop him, keeping him in his bedroom after Gyokuen is dead. He's a near-endless source of magoi, helping Hakuryuu fix himself up, and it's never felt so relieving to have someone to rely on.


	27. distractions

this is so saccharine it hurts me a bit, haha. I don't tend to do completely sappy stuff but what can I say, sometimes I just want some happy fluff with juhakus in love :D the prompt was **"a sweet kiss"** and this is definitely sweet~

this has vague references to chapters 325 & 326, but nothing majorly spoilerly! :D

* * *

Judal feels his patience slipping as the meeting drones on. He doesn't even want to be here, but he wants to support Hakuryuu. And Kougyoku, he guesses, and probably Alibaba now that they're friends or whatever. But it's just too reminiscent of the countless hours he spent in court under Al Tharman's orders, listening to stupid Koutoku and Gyokuen and anyone else who thought they had half brain. He's no good with this sort of thing, even with Hakuryuu here.

He leaves halfway through a sentence, finally fed up with the discussion, and Judal doesn't want to see the disappointment on Hakuryuu's face.

He hides away from his responsibilities in the peach garden for hours instead, only slinking back to Hakuryuu's bedroom when the sky grows dark. It's unofficially theirs now, his own room feeling too sterile and lonely after years of sitting empty, but he pauses at the doorway, not quite ready to face Hakuryuu.

Whatever. He can't hide from Hakuryuu forever, he'll be too lonely, so Judal pushes the door open.

"Good evening, Judal," Hakuryuu says, waving to him from the bed.

Oh. He doesn't look disappointed, at the least. Judal can work with that. Even if Hakuryuu is angry, he can handle angry. It's less complicated. He leans against the door awkwardly, before clearing his throat. Maybe add a line about him leaning against the door awkwardly?"Yo, finally done with all your boring shit?"

Why does he let himself talk sometimes?

Surprisingly, Hakuryuu laughs. "I have been for hours. I was wondering when you'd finish sulking."

"I wasn't sulking!" Judal snaps. "I was relaxing away from all that stuffy talk."

Hakuryuu pats the bed, and Judal makes his way over. This is going… well. Better than expected.

"It's fine. I know you're trying to help, but honestly you've been distracting me more than anything."

Judal flops next to him. "Distracting you? How?"

Hakuryuu runs a hand through his hair, and Judal watches his bangs fall in his face. Why is Hakuryuu so pretty? This seems unfairly distracting, and in his wonder he nearly misses Hakuryuu's answer.

"I've missed you, and so it's hard to sit there with you so close and focus on something else. There's still so much we have to catch up on."

Judal blinks stupidly at him. "What?"

"Don't look so surprised. I'm not without feelings, you know."

"I know!" Judal says, rolling to sit up and look Hakuryuu straight on. "But you're not that emotional, and you're usually so good at staying on task and getting stuff done instead of...you know, fucking around and getting distracted by your feelings."

Hakuryuu just shakes his head. "I do. I'm better at hiding it than you, but I do."

Judal flings himself forward into Hakuryuu's arms, nuzzing his face against his neck, to hide the blush that's forming. "Stop that."

He kisses the top of Judal's head. "Are you going to stay there all night or give me a proper kiss?"

"I do what I want," he murmurs.

"Oh I know you do. Come on, let me kiss you."

Judal nips lightly at Hakuryuu's neck before sitting back up. "Well, if you're that desperate, go for it."

It's a soft brush of the lips first, Hakuryuu barely leaning forward, until he puts a hand on the back of Judal's neck and pulls him closer, and then it's barely constrained passion and he never wants to be anywhere but here, feeling wanted and loved. It's over all too soon, leaving Judal wanting another.

Hakuryuu's smiling slightly, and Judal lets his head fall forward so their foreheads meet.

"You're sweeter than anyone gives you credit for," Judal tells him.

This time it's Hakuryuu's turn to blush. "It's just for you."

"That's the best part," Judal says, and leans in to kiss him again.


	28. bad idea olympics

prompt: why haven't they invented bowling on ice?

* * *

Hakuryuu is curled up on the couch with Judal, watching figure skating. Judal didn't seem to care much about the Winter Olympics, but this part is more entertaining than a lot of others to him. And it involves people in spandex and glitter, so Hakuryuu isn't that surprised. He is, however, surprised by a lot of Judal's commentary.

"Hey, I've been thinking."

"Yes?"

"Why haven't they invented bowling on ice?"

He glances over at Judal, brilliant man that he is in love with him, and tries to process what he just asked. "What?"

"You know. Bowling. But on ice! I think it would be exciting."

Hakuryuu breathes in, looks at the TV for a bit, and tries to formulate an answer. He's not quite sure where this thought came from, but Judal is obviously looking for some sort of reaction. He breathes out, and answers as best he can. "I'm pretty sure that's called curling."

"No, that's like...ice shuffleboard."

"It's still close to bowling," Hakuryuu tries to explain.

Judal groans. "I mean, I guess. But anyway, **I'm** gonna invent it myself and then we'll be set for life."

"I'm not driving you to the hospital when you break your leg trying to invent this," Hakuryuu tells him, and Judal just laughs.


	29. accidents

prompt: you hit me!

* * *

Judal glances out the window of his car, enjoying the fresh air on a warm spring day. Soon it will be summer, and he will be free to wear whatever he wants. He always does regardless of weather, but it'll actually be comfortable soon, and that's the important part. He's got a dresser full of crop tops just waiting for the coming summer…

He looks back at the road just in time to see the traffic light turn red, and slams on his brakes. Shit, shit, why does he always get so fucking distracted while driving? His car jerks to a stop but there's a sickening crunch as it rolls into the car in front of him.

"Fuck!" he screams, blaring on the horn accidentally, before backing up and putting his car in park. This is fine. He can totally handle this. People get into fender benders all the time. No problem. It's not like he hasn't done this before.

Judal takes a few deep breaths and gets out of the car. The other guy is already coming around to talk him, and thankfully he doesn't look too mad. That's always a good sign.

He shoots the stranger an apologetic grin once he's out, and holds his hand out. "Hey, I'm Judal. Sorry about this! I guess my brakes aren't as good as I thought."

He looks at Judal's offered hand for a moment before shaking it. "I see. I'm Hakuryuu. Can I see your insurance and contact information?"

"Do we really need to get into all that? It's not even that bad, see?" Judal gestures at the rear bumper of this guy's car, and continues. "I've got a couple hundred bucks in cash; I can just give you that and call it even."

"You hit me!" he exclaims. "You can't just brush it off and try to get out of it. That's not the proper way of doing things. You have to follow the correct procedure."

Judal deflates a little. "Ah. Yeah, of course." Why does this guy have to be such a stick in the mud? His insurance is already through the roof and this is just going to make it worse. And this guy is so cute, too. It's disappointing. But he digs through his glove box for his insurance papers and thrusts them into Hakuryuu's hands.

"Thank you," Hakuryuu says, and hands over his own insurance card. "I don't think this will be necessary, but it's best to keep everything on record."

He nods. "Sure, whatever you say."

An uncomfortable silence follows, as they copy each other's information. Hakuryuu finishes first, politely straightening the mess of papers he was handed before giving them back. Judal looks carefully at the paper of information in front of him and what he copied into his phone, before handing them back.

"Hey, wait," Judal says as Hakuryuu tries to walk back to his car. "Can I have your number? You know, in case anything else goes wrong."

"Um. I don't see what you'd need it, but-"

Judal cuts him off. "To give to my insurance, obviously."

"Oh. I wasn't aware that was necessary but...I've never been in an accident before. Here," he says, writing it on a sheet of paper and giving it to Judal.

He grins. If nothing else, he can at least make a friend out of this. "Thanks, Hakuryuu. See you around."


	30. technical difficulties

prompt: you spent how much?

* * *

Hakuryuu opens the door to his apartment, fully prepared for a relaxing evening at home. His homework is done, all his long term projects are complete enough that he can take a break from them for a day, and he has leftovers to heat up for dinner. He's going to read a good book, and-

His train of thought is cut short when he steps into the living room. There are piles of boxes and packing supplies everywhere, hunks of foam and ripped plastic bags strewn across the floor. Oh god. What has Judal done?

From the dining room, Hakuryuu hears a string of colorful language. Ah. That at least answers the question of where Judal is. He slips his shoes off and carefully makes his way around the boxes to find Judal sitting at the dining room table, surrounded by a veritable mountain of computer parts and papers.

"What are you doing?" he asks, almost afraid for the answer.

"Huh? Oh, hey Hakuryuu!" Judal grins. "I didn't hear you come in. Hey, did you know you can build your own computer?"

"Where did you think computers came from?"

He rolls his eyes. "Ugh, I know they have to be built, but you can do it yourself! In your own home! I went to the store to get more printer ink and they had some parts on sale…"

Hakuryuu looks over all the parts around Judal. "So...they had all these on sale and you decided to try to put them together?"

Judal shakes his head. "No, I mean. Some of them were. But the employees helped me get parts that would all fit together and you know. Actually work as a computer. I didn't just pick up random stuff and put it together."

"Oh, good. Here I was concerned that you bought random items but instead you're just building a completely unnecessary new computer."

"It's totally necessary! Do you even know how many video games I'll be able to play with this thing? I'm gonna be the best gamer."

"You don't even play that many."

"Well I'll be able to now! This is gonna be the best gaming machine money can buy!"

Hakuryuu feels his stomach sink at those words. "Can I see the receipt, then?"

Judal has the good grace to look embarrassed. "Uh….how about later?"

He holds out his hand. "Now, Judal."

"Fine, fine," he grumbles, and digs through the pile of papers in front of him. "It's not that bad for all that I got. You know, it would be at least twice as much if I bought it pre-made."

"But you don't need a new computer," Hakuryuu says, taking the receipt and looking for the total at the bottom. "You spent this much?"

"I got a good deal!" Judal whines. "My keyboard glows rainbow!"

Hakuryuu groans. "You didn't even remember printer ink!"

"Please don't hate me," he says sheepishly. "I love you!"


	31. moving day

prompt: **Omg, this is my favorite song. Dance with me!**

* * *

Hakuryuu shifts some of the boxes around, trying to find the rest of the kitchen appliances. He thought he had put all the kitchen boxes together, but with the trouble he's having right now, he's beginning to doubt himself.

Judal, unfortunately, is no help at all. He's moving stuff around and blasting music through a cheap speaker, humming along as he ignores the careful organization system that Hakuryuu worked so hard on.

"Judal," Hakuryuu says to no response. " _Judal_. Are you listening?"

He finally looks over. "Huh? Did you say something? The music's pretty loud."

"Then turn it down," he says. "Have you seen any other boxes labeled kitchen?"

Judal whines, but turns the volume down a bit. "I dunno. I'll take a look, though. You missing one?"

"I can't find the mixer or the food processor, and they were packed together."

He nods and turns to look for it, pawing through boxes that Hakuryuu can tell have nothing to do with the kitchen. Just then, the song changes, and Judal spins back around, smiling broadly. "Wait! Hakuryuu, this is my favorite song. Dance with me!"

Hakuryuu is holding dish towels in one hand and part of their rice cooker in the other, and he wants to tell Judal he's being ridiculous. They have an entire apartment to unpack and arrange, and they have to somehow figure out how to fit two apartment's worth of furniture and decorations into one, but when he looks at the excitement on Judal's face he can't quite bring himself to say no.


	32. no wrong turns

prompt: **Are we lost?**

some spoilers for chapter 327!

* * *

Judal leans against a tree, watching Hakuryuu pore over a map. They're deep in the forests of Eastern Kou, hiding from the International Alliance's ever watchful eyes. There's something off with the world, something that doesn't settle right with either of them. Judal can hear whispers of it in the rukh, like something has been shifted slightly.

It's wrong.

He'd like to pretend that's why they left Rakushou: the want to solve the mystery of what's wrong and make the world right again. But Judal isn't that noble.

Hakuryuu makes a frustrated noise and rolls up the map. "Come on, Judal. We have to keep moving."

"Did you figure out where we're headed?" he asks, jogging a bit to catch up with Hakuryuu as they continue along the rough path through the trees.

"We're going the right way," Hakuryuu answers, leading them deeper into the forest.

Judal shrugs, falling into comfortable silence as they walk. There isn't exactly a right way for them, just away from large cities and anywhere they might be recognized. Hakuryuu is still wanted by the IA, and apparently no longer under Kougyoku's protection. Judal just thinks they should have taken Belial before going into hiding again. It's not like they could get in any more trouble.

He hears Hakuryuu swear to himself and laughs. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Hakuryuu says, shaking his head.

Judal looks around carefully and slowly realizes what's gone wrong. "Are we lost?"

"No!" he snaps.

"Oh, we're so lost," Judal says, laughing again.

Hakuryuu sighs and turns to look at him. "The map is either outdated or incorrect, and I'm not sure which. Either way, I have no idea how to get us out of these woods, but it doesn't matter. We don't have anywhere to go."

"We could always go back to my hometown. It's not like anyone there is gonna turn us in."

"That's on the other side of the country. How exactly do you plan on getting us there?" Judal opens his mouth to answer and Hakuryuu cuts him off. "Without magic, Judal."

He pouts. "You're no fun."

"We're trying to avoid capture. You're a bit obvious whenever you do anything. I'm sure Aladdin wouldn't tell anyone about it, but I can't say the same about Titus."

He shrugs. "I guess. Welp, nothing to do but keep walking! My king will figure it out eventually!"

Hakuryuu shakes his head. "You have too much confidence in me."

"I always have!" Judal says, grinning. "But it's worked out well, so why stop?"

"Your definition of things working out is very questionable," Hakuryuu says, but reaches out to grab his hand, twining their fingers together.

Judal squeezes back. "I'm a magi. You're supposed to trust in my opinion of how things should work out."


	33. the most magical place on earth

prompt: juhaku, disneyland trip!

* * *

"I look ridiculous in that," Hakuryuu says, pointing at the picture of the two of them that Judal insisted on getting. No one looks good on roller coasters, except Judal. Somehow.

He slings an arm around Hakuryuu's shoulders and laughs. "But I want to remember this! And you wouldn't let me take selfies with all the villains."

"I never said _you_ couldn't. I just didn't want to be in them."

"Yeah well, I wanted you in them," Judal says. "I'll convince you someday."

Hakuryuu sighs and pulls a Mickey ear headband out of his bag. "Do you want these back?"

Judal grins and takes them happily. "Duh! Come on, put yours back on."

It's cute, watching Judal be excited about being a tourist, about the wonders of being in the "Happiest Place on Earth", and Hakuryuu can't deny him that joy. Even if he does feel ridiculous in plastic mouse ears, it's worth it to see his boyfriend's smile.


	34. dance with me

prompt: **slow dancing**

* * *

Hakuryuu sits in the event hall, decorated in lush silk hangings and elegant table settings, and a frown settles into his features. It looks beautiful, every picture the wedding celebration it's supposed to be. But he doesn't approve of it, never has, and has kept himself away from the polished wood dance floor all night.

His sister looks so happy, he almost wishes he could be happy for her, but he can't, not with who she married. He's here, he's not arguing with her, and that's as supportive as he promised to be.

Judal plops down into the seat next to him and grins, interrupting Hakuryuu's internal rant about Kouen's failures and shortcomings. "Yo, you wanna dance?"

"I'm not dancing," Hakuryuu answers stiffly. "You know I want no part of this."

"Yeah, but you're here. You may as well make the best of it!" Judal looks excited, and bounces back out of his seat to stand in front of Hakuryuu.

He glares up at him. "I don't want to."

Judal holds out his hand. "Aw, come on. It'll look like you're making an effort, and then no one will notice when we ditch this lame-o party and I take you out for ice cream."

"You didn't drive here."

"Details, details," Judal says, laughing. "You can drive, and I'll pay, and I'll even let you pretend you're still mad at me when we make out in the car."

Hakuryuu's cheeks flush, and he lets Judal pull him up. "Don't talk like that, and I'll dance with you."

Judal's still grinning as he pulls Hakuryuu to the dance floor, until he's got Hakuryuu's arms around his waist and they're swaying to the soft, slow music.


	35. clear as crystal

prompt: **sharing a bath/swim**

* * *

Judal nearly trips into the pond in front of him. He's not sure how, since it's right there, but somehow he missed its crystal clear surface in the middle of the woods. Huh.

He's supposed to be on the run, but… It looks nice. Soothing. And he's been running for so long he feels dirty to his very core, so much that only a long soak could get all the grime out of his skin and hair. This is a convenient find, but he's not going to complain. He's here to finally clean himself.

He strips quickly, folding his clothes and setting them by the water's edge, before slipping in. And it feels every bit as lovely as it looks, the perfect temperature on a warm spring day.

It's so comfortable he almost wants to stay forever.

Though…what's stopping him? Nothing can hurt him here, and the water feels so friendly and warm, almost like a comforting hug…

Judal leans back, getting settled even more, when he really thinks about what he's trying to convince himself of. He doesn't… actually want to live in a pond, he tries to reassure himself, shaking his head to try to clear the invasive thoughts. It's nice, yes, but he can't give unto whatever's trying to force its will on him.

He's got his eyes squeezed shut, trying to focus on his _own_ thoughts, his _own_ values, when he feels the water shift around him. Judal opens his eyes to a strange face, half covered in an intriguing scar, staring at him. It's not human. That's worrying.

"You aren't easy to capture," it tells him. "That's rather impressive, since you're running from something."

"Just cause I'm running doesn't mean I want to be caught by something else."

It looks him over once more, before nodding. "I see. Then this time I will allow you to share in the soothing powers of my forest, and bathe in the healing spring."

"Aw sweet, thanks! Where's this healing spring?"

"You're in it," it says flatly, and Judal has to laugh. Leave it to him to not get the memo.

"I'm Judal," he says, trying to cover his own stupidity. "Who are you?"

"I have many names, given to me by the people who travel these woods. But you may call me Hakuryuu, as long as you never speak it to another soul."

He nods. "Hakuryuu. Got it, it's your little secret name thing. I think it's pretty."

Hakuryuu smiles and it almost feels like the trees around them perk up, leaves and branches lifting higher. This isn't the detour Judal wanted, but he'll take it because he's pretty sure he's gotten the blessing of some forest spirit, and that's nothing to scoff at.


	36. gettin physical

prompt: **"I was kind of wondering if maybe…could we…you want to go to the movies with me?"**

* * *

"Yo, Hakuryuu," Judal says, peeking in the door to his room. It was closed but not locked, so he's totally welcome. Probably.

There's a heavy sigh, and Judal cringes. Maybe this was the wrong time.

"Yes?" He sounds tired.

Judal slips into the room and pads over to Hakuryuu, crouched over his desk. "Whatcha working on?"

Hakuryuu taps pencil against his textbook. "Just some homework."

"Ohhh, yeah, I'm no help- wait, is that physics?" Judal peers over his shoulder and sees Hakuryuu's perfect pristine handwriting, and shakes his head. "You've got that equation wrong, right there."

"Did you even take physics?" Hakuryuu asks, but looks over it anyway. "Oh. I think you're right…"

Judal pulls up another chair and settles in next to him. "I liked physics. You can blow things up with it."

"You're a danger to yourself and others," Hakuryuu says, but doesn't complain about the help.

"Hey, I was kind of wondering if-" Judal begins, and then shakes his head. He's managed to not piss Hakuryuu off for, however long this has been, and he's not quite ready to ruin that.

"Hmm? It's not like you to stop yourself," he says.

"If maybe...could we-" Ugh, Judal wishes he could punch himself in the face. He's usually so much more eloquent but something about Hakuryuu makes him tongue-tied. This is stupid. They've been friends their whole lives. Why is this so hard?

Hakuryuu is watching him patiently, and Judal takes a deep breath. Alright. He needs to stop being a fucking weenie. "You want to go to the movies with me?" he finally manages, trying to sound confident.

"Is that what you came in here for?" Hakuryuu's smiling, which is a good sign. He thinks.

"Maybe," he answers. "I helped you though, so you know. You owe me one."

Hakuryuu sighs and then laughs. "I guess I can this time."

Judal grins. "Damn right."


	37. toe-tal chaos

Zombie Judal loses something to one of the cats and ropes his necromancer boyfriend, Hakuryuu, into helping him find it.

* * *

"Damn it Archimedes!" Judal screeches, running after the cat. For being nothing but a fucking skeleton, he sure moves fast. He hears the skittering of paws around the corner and Judal jumps after him, trying to catch up.

He nearly catches Archimedes in the hallway, only to slip on the rug and fall on his ass. "Fuck!" he screams, and Archimedes dashes off again. Stupid fucking cat and his love of toes, this is the third time this month.

Ugh. Judal starts to get up when the front door opens in his face, and he shrieks.

"What the- Judal?" Hakuryuu exclaims, looking down at him.

"Who else do you think it is?" he snaps, rubbing his head.

"What are you doing on the floor, in front of the door?" he asks.

Judal sits up enough to let Hakuryuu in, and grumpily answers. "I fell while chasing Archimedes, alright?"

Hakuryuu carefully steps around and puts his bag down, before offering Judal a hand up. "Why were you chasing him?"

"Stupid cat got one of my toes again," he says, gesturing at his foot.

Hakuryuu sighs heavily. "Again?"

Judal whines and shoves at Hakuryuu's shoulder. "Ugh, I don't even remember that I'm a shambling undead monstrosity most of the time and then Archimedes decides nope, time to make off with part of my body! I don't know why he likes them so much!"

"He's a cat," Hakuryuu says, shrugging. "Any idea where he went?"

"Upstairs, maybe? I don't know. Shit, I'm so glad I don't feel pain for the most part. You hit me pretty hard with that door."

"I am sorry about that, but I didn't expect you to be laying in front of it," he says. "I'm going to look for your toe, and then patch you up. I'll look over your head while I do, alright?"

Judal nods and wanders over to the couch to sit down, before pulling out his phone to mess around with it. He can hear Hakuryuu moving around upstairs and calling for Archimedes, and he settles deeper into the soft cushions.

There's a croaky meow, and a cat jumps into Judal's lap. "Aw, Belphagor, come to cheer me up?" he asks, skritching under what's left of his chin. "Yeah, you are. Why do you gotta be so snuggly when you almost lose hunks of skin any time you get pet?"

Belphagor just purrs in response, and Judal idly pets him while he waits for Hakuryuu to come back, hopefully successfully. The house isn't that big, but Archimedes is unfortunately good at hiding things.

Hakuryuu eventually returns looking disappointed. "I can't find him or your toe, I'm sorry. I'm going to do a run of this floor now."

Judal shrugs. "I can be without a toe. Remember when he hid one for a week? It was gross by the time we got to it!" he says, laughing. When Hakuryuu doesn't smile, he realizes that yeah, apparently they do have to find it now. "Do you want help?"

"If you'd like. But we really do need to find it, Judal, it's a delicate appendage…"

He hops up and Belphagor whines before stalking off, tail held high. "Nah, I'm up to it now. Let's go!"

Hakuryuu is on his knees with a flashlight, looking under the kitchen cabinets. "I don't think it's down here," he says, but Judal jabs a finger to the left of where Hakuryuu is looking.

"I think I saw something," he says. "Look, like over there. That corner."

"That's a pile of dust. Ugh, I really need to clean under here."

"No, next to the pile of dust. Babe, that my toe."

"I think I know what your toes look like."

"Yeah well, so do I!"

"You don't have to reattach them all the time! And that's just more dust," Hakuryuu says, shining the flashlight over it. "See?"

He groans. "I'm never going to have a toe again."


	38. kill the rain

prompt: **Caught in a storm**

* * *

Judal has his face shoved against the window, and lets out a long whine as he slides down the glass. "I wanted to go out today!"

Hakuryuu glances up from his book to see Judal flopped on the floor, still whining. "It's raining."

"I _knooooow_!"

"The great and powerful magi can't change the weather?"

Judal sits up so quickly he nearly gets headrush. "You told me to stop doing that!"

"I was kidding," Hakuryuu says, but he can see it's already too late. "No, Judal. I didn't mean to actually make the rain stop."

The rain slowly trickles to a stop, the dark gray of the sky fading to a bright blue, and the sun begins shining through the window. Judal looks pleased at his handiwork, his smile nearly as bright as the changing weather. "See? This is much better!"

Hakuryuu goes back to reading, shaking his head. "You cannot keep doing that."

"I do what I want," Judal answer flippantly, before heading to the door. "So are you coming out with me or what?"

He sighs and closes the book. "Well, if it will keep you from making any other major changes to the world today…"

"I make no promises!" Judal yells, running out the door, and Hakuryuu pulls his shoes on quickly to follow after him.


	39. study buddies

prompt: **What would you do if you were locked in an elevator with me?**

* * *

"Hey, so. Theoretically. What would you do if you were locked in an elevator with me?"

"I don't even want to be working on this project with you. Why would I want to be stuck in an elevator with you for hours?" Hakuryuu tries to tune out Judal and focus on the work in front of him. They're supposed to be working on a presentation together, but it mostly seems to involve Judal tapping his pen against the table while Hakuryuu does all the research.

"Aw, you don't mean that! We're having fun hanging out," Judal says, all smiles. Hakuryuu resists giving into his temper and strangling him. It must be nice to be so careless and ignorant.

"Yes, I do. Please at least pretend to take this seriously," Hakuryuu snaps. "If you're not going to help, just go home and let me do it without distractions."

Judal blows a raspberry at him. "Jeez, fine, I was just trying to lighten the mood. How about I finish a section, and then you answer my question?"

Hakuryuu rubs at his temples. "Are you really asking me to bribe you to work on a project that you're a part of?"

He grins. "Sure am! I think it'll be more fun this way."

"I can't believe you."

"Come on, gimme a section to do!" Judal starts picking up random sheets of paper. "Or I'll try to figure it out myself."

Hakuryuu shoves a book into his hands. "Copy the graphs on pages 22, 31, and 78 into the Powerpoint presentation."

Judal nods. "Got it! And then you'll answer me?"

"If you do a good job."

"Oh ye of little faith. I'm about to make the best damn graphs you've ever seen!" he declares, opening up his laptop.

Hakuryuu shakes his head and goes back to his own work. It's easier to work in the ensuing silence, and he supposes he can answer Judal's question if he ever finishes.


	40. scary movies

for the prompt **"Did the lights just flash?"**

* * *

Chapter Text

"Why do you insist on watching scary movies if you don't like them?" Hakuryuu asks Judal, who is currently pressed up against him. The movie is nearing its climax and Judal jumps at every sudden noises and movement in it.

"I do like them!" he insists. "I just like to cuddle you so that you don't get scared."

"Oh, really?"

The lights in the movie flash, and he shrieks. "Yeah! Yes! Oh god, don't go down there," he yells at the screen.

Hakuryuu laughs. "Sure, I'm the scared one."

"Go fuck your- shit, did the lights just flash?" Judal grips his arm tighter, glancing around the living room fearfully.

"Uh, no. They did in the movie though," Hakuryuu answers, and Judal shakes his head vigorously.

"I know that. But they flashed in here too."

"The lights are already off. You insisted on turning them off for dramatic effect," Hakuryuu says.

Judal sucks in a breath to respond, before he deflates a bit. "Oh, you're right. Okay, look, this movie is extra scary. You can't make fun of me!"

Hakuryuu pulls him in closer. "I'm not making fun of you."

"Yeah, sure you aren't," Judal grumbles, but cuddles even closer.


	41. fresh help

Sparkling light spirals around the strange man in front of him, and he bows as they fade.

"Ta-da! Judal, at your service!" he announces with a flourish.

Hakuryuu stares in awe. When he'd idly wished for help with his mother and Al Tharman, he didn't expect anything to actually happen. But now there is a rather scantily clad young man standing in his bedroom, looking at him expectantly.

"Um, hello," he finally manages. "I'm Hakuryuu."

"Nice to meet you, Hakuryuu," Judal says. "I heard you wanted help and it sounded interesting…"

He nods. "I'm not really sure how you heard that, but-"

Judal grins and cuts him off. "I look out for people who need help, you know? Especially when they're cute boys who have a nasty plot for revenge!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, something about wanting to avenge some family members, right? Your mom sounds like a bitch though, so no harm in taking her out," Judal answers, calm and collected and far too close for comfort. He grabs Hakuryuu by the chin and turns his face to the side, eyeing up his scar. "She caused this too, mmhm?"

Hakuryuu nods and tries to pull back. "Who are you?"

"Judal, like I told you!" He holds out a hand. "Let me help you."

He stares at it hesitantly. " _What_ are you?"

Judal blinks, and then breaks into laughter. "Oh, you're not stupid, I like that! You figured out what kind of question to ask. Guess I gotta tell you. I'm what you'd call a fae, a spirit of mischief, and I love messing with people."

"Oh. Why me?"

"Cause you wanna mess with a whole lotta people, and it sounds like fun! And like I said, cute boy out for revenge. What's not to like?"

Hakuryuu nods, trying to process what Judal just told him. Alright. Fae are...dangerous, he knows that much. He should probably just send this guy away, but…

"What do you want from me?" Hakuryuu asks. Nothing comes without a price.

Judal leans back, nearly floating, and looks thoughtful. "Hmm...I hadn't thought about it, honestly! I wasn't sure if you'd actually agree. I guess I'll have to tell you later."

"I'm not agreeing to something so vague," Hakuryuu says, and Judal laughs again.

"Alright, alright, I get it, you're smart enough to not go into this blind. How about...however long it takes for me to help you take out your mother and her little organization is how long you then have to help me out."

"With what?"

Judal grins and there are far too many teeth. "Whatever I need."

A chance for success, much better than he'd have on his own, but at the cost of listening to this strange fae's whims. Hakuryuu debates it, thinking about the pros and cons, until he decides that he _needs_ this, this help, and takes Judal's hand.

"Good choice!" Judal says, cackling as they're engulfed in the same strange lights, and Hakuryuu can only hold on for the ride.


	42. solitude

I feel like I have words to say about this, but my brain has been on static for the past week or so :C so unfortunately I don't have much to talk about except hello yes please love my writing because Judal & Hakuryuu are great?

for the prompt: **If I were famous…oh wait…I am!**

* * *

"I don't need the attention, Judal," Hakuryuu says calmly.

Judal slumps against the counter and sighs heavily. "But you _could_ have it. And you deserve it!"

He starts wiping off the counter, nudging at Judal's arms as he goes. "I appreciate the offer. And I know you mean well, but please listen to me."

"Uuughhhh," he whines, laying right back down. Hakuryuu ignores him, straightening some of the bottles on the shelves instead. He likes his life, quiet and unobtrusive. He likes the freedom that anonymity gives him. People in the nearby village know of him, know about the potions his brews and medicines he makes, and that's enough. He doesn't need the stress of popularity.

Judal weakly bats at him, and Hakuryuu turns back around to look at him. "Yes?"

"I just want to make you special," he says, frowning. There's a shift in the air as Judal sulks, and Hakuryuu can feel the beginnings of rain, followed by the soft hum of rain drops on the roof. Sometimes Judal is so overdramatic.

"You make me feel special," he says, ruffling Judal's hair. "What would you even do?"

He glances up, eyes bright through his thick lashes, and grins. "I'd spread the word about you! I mean it would only work if I were famous...oh wait, I am! I'm only the most powerful magician of our time. If I told people to travel from all over to use your remedies, they would."

Hakuryuu leans down to look him in the eyes. "What do I hate, more than anything?"

"Your mother. Oh, and liars, which honestly is a little hypocritical-"

He sighs, cutting Judal off. "Why do you think I live and work in a plain building, nestled away in the mostly ignored countryside?"

"Because you like the scenery?"

"Don't play stupid."

Judal leans forward and kisses him, and Hakuryuu has to mentally remind himself not to let this distract him from their conversation. It's easy though, to let his worries melt away and focus on nothing but Judal and the soft kisses he's trailing along his jaw, moving up to nip at his ear, until Hakuryuu puts a hand on his forehead.

"Judal," he says, silently cursing himself for the breathless catch in his voice, and takes a breath to calm himself. "You're trying to change the subject."

His grin widens. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Judal."

"Yeah, I know. You don't want your bitch mom to find you. I get it," he says, and tries to kiss him again.

Hakuryuu shakes his head. "You're enough of a risk as it is, but...I'm not going to send you away."

"Damn right!" Judal declares. "I'm your favorite."

"Then stop being so difficult and let me live the life I want," Hakuryuu tells him. "I want you to be a part of it, but you're going to have to stop being so flashy."

"A prince and a royal magician, living like peasants," he says grumpily. "But I'll do it, for you."


	43. easy bake explosions

HI EVERYONE! first drabble of the new year! I mean, I haven't taken any new requests this year, I'm just...slowly filling the last of the ones from 2016...I'm so sorry for my everything XD

anyway, this is for the request **"It was an accident. I was cooking…I'm not going to the hospital."** from an anon on tumblr! Judal's some sort of strange magical being from another dimension and Hakuryuu is the unlucky human who found him~

* * *

Hakuryuu is holed up in his room, finishing some reading for class. He has midterms soon, and a list of projects to finish beforehand, so he's had to force himself to leave Judal alone. He can't think about it. Judal is an adult; he should be able to entertain himself for a night.

He stares at the page, desperately trying to focus. He can't just worry about Judal all the time. Who cares if he's some strange magical being from another dimension? Hakuryuu taught him about Netflix.

Just as he's finally gotten himself focused on studying, he hears screeching from the other room. He really hopes it's from the TV, or maybe Judal overreacting to something he's watching. But he can't fight his gut feeling to check it out, so he closes his book with a sigh. Hopefully this will be an easy fix.

Hakuryuu finds Judal in the kitchen, clutching his hand. There's snow falling and a smoking hunk of plastic on the counter, with some unidentifiable food substance leaking out of it. This seems bad.

"Are you okay?" he asks first, since Judal is still hunched over in pain, and Hakuryuu crouches down to look at him. He groans and offers Hakuryuu his hand, which appears to be blistering. "What happened?"

"It was an accident!" Judal tells him, and hisses when Hakuryuu lightly touches his hand. "I was cooking...I'm not going to the hospital!"

"I can't take you to the hospital," Hakuryuu says calmly. "What were you cooking?"

Judal shifts to sit on the floor and gestures towards the counter. "I dunno, I think it was that soup that you gave me the other day. I put it in the microwave."

Hakuryuu stares at the twisted plastic on the counter and realizes that it used to be his microwave. Ah. He sees what happened now, but he doesn't like. "You put the whole can in?"

"Yeah, so I could just eat it in that! You know. To make it easier! But then it caught on fire for some reason? And I panicked and tried to take it out, but it hurt like a fucking bitch!"

"I see. If you were hungry why didn't you just ask?"

"I didn't want to bother you," Judal says, waving a hand to stop the snow. "Sorry. I made it snow to put out the fire."

Hakuryuu takes his injured hand gently. It looks bad, but it could probably be worse. He's never quite sure how injuries work for Judal. "I don't want you to go hungry, though."

Judal mutters some words under his breath, and there's a soft glow around his blistered hand. Some of them fade away, while the worst parts fade to a duller red, obviously less serious. "Yeah, I know. But I was trying...ugh, I wish I was better with healing magic. This itches."

"I know." Hakuryuu looks again at his ruined counter, then back to Judal, and sighs, offering him a hand up. "Here, I'll teach you some simple things to make. It'll be alright."


	44. just peachy

back to filling drabble prompts! :D this one is for **"Hey you! Those are my baby ducks! Back off!"** from an anon on tumblr~

* * *

 _Nothing like getting out into the countryside to feel better about living in the city_ , Judal thought to himself. He was already tired of the picturesque rolling hills and bright skies, especially now that his shoes were a mess from the mud. It had taken nearly an hour to get out here, and then even longer to actually _find_ what he was looking for, but he'd heard this farm had the best peaches in the area.

He wanted them. He _needed_ to have them. But the trip had been miserable, so they better be worth it.

The farm was more than peaches, apparently: it was a vision of cliche country scenes. There were even animals in the fields, horses and cows dotted across the rolling hills and chickens clucking loudly.

Gross.

Judal strode out of the store, bag of sweets and peach jam in hand, and the promise that another employee would bring his hefty bushel of peaches to his car momentarily. He picked his way through the mud, trying not to step in every puddle, when he came across some baby ducks. Ducklings? Whatever, they looked soft. No one would notice if he pet them…

"Hey, you! Those are my baby ducks!"

Judal's head whipped around to see a young man coming too, bushel resting on his hip and looking fucking pissed. He immediately got defensive, crouching over the ducklings. "Back off! I saw them first!" There were so many; no one should care if he took one home as a souvenir.

The stranger set down his bushel and stalked over, and Judal rolled his eyes. If this guy wanted one, he had to find his own farm animal to steal. Once he was up close, Judal could see his mismatched eyes and a nasty scar across nearly half his face. He also wore one of the lame employee polos with _Hakuryuu_ embroidered by the logo.

He glared at Judal and tried to shoo him away from the ducks. "If you insist on trying to hurt or steal those, you'll be damaging private property."

"You can't _own_ an animal," he argued.

"Yes, I can," he snapped back, before catching himself. "Er, my family does, but-"

Judal picked up one of the cutest ones. "See, look at this cutie. He's as free as a bird- Ha! Because he's a bird, get it? You can't cage him!" he declared, holding up the duckling triumphantly.

"Don't-"

" **Fuck!** " he screeched, nearly dropping in his rush to get it out of his hands. "Little brat bit me!"

Hakuryuu cast him a darkly smug look. "I tried to warn you."

"Whatever, I don't need some bitey bird that probably shits everywhere." He grabbed his bag and stomped towards his card. "And where are my peaches?"

"Oh, you're the guy with all the peaches?"

"Duh!" Judal said. It's not like there was anyone else wandering the parking lot, waiting for peaches. "Wait, are those mine?"

He raised a thin eyebrow. "Of course they are. If you hadn't been causing problems, I would have brought them to you by now."

Judal popped the trunk and leaned against his car, watching Hakuryuu load the bushel into the back. He was strong and cute, even if he was kinda cold… "You know, I got injured at your business. I could probably sue."

"You antagonized a duckling. That's your own fault. You're honestly lucky that its mother didn't come after you."

"Your word against mine," Judal said, grinning. "Or you could give me your number and I'll drop it."

His brow knitted in confusion. "You want my number?"

"Yep!"

A beat of silence. "Why?"

"Cause I think you're cute."

More silence. "Maybe if you come back and leave the livestock alone, I'll consider it."

"Okay, Hakuryuu," he said, still grinning. "I'm Judal. Don't forget!"


	45. trick or treat

welp it's been QUITE awhile since I've done any drabbles, but I am back! this is a 3 sentence fic with the prompt juhaku + Halloween AU! two of my favorite things :D

* * *

Hakuryuu opens his door to find Judal in an elaborate pirate costume - complete with an eye patch, a peg leg, and an _animatronic parrot_ on his shoulder - grinning from ear to ear; apparently he'd chosen not to listen to Hakuryuu's request not to go to the Halloween party tonight.

"I'm here to pillage your booty," Judal declares, cackling and brandishing something that looks suspiciously like an oversized sex toy.

He stared at Judal in stunned silence before he manages to compose a reply: "I don't have any treats for you," he says, trying in vain to close the door before Judal pushes his way in, claiming that pirates take what they want as he kisses Hakuryuu happily.


	46. thieves

another 3 sentence fic! this time the request was juhaku in the YuGiOh universe and tbh I would like to write a whole fic in this world. I had a lot of fun :D

* * *

Judal rips the Millennium Ring from its heavily guarded hiding place, though it's obviously not protected enough for the likes of him, and now all its power will be his-

Something hits him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him as they roll across the dirt and grime. _This is disgusting_ , he thinks to himself, pushing away to try to get a better look at his attacker and frowning when he recognizes him; how dare he?

"Get back here and put that down!" Hakuryuu yells, grabbing him and punching Judal in the face; Hakuryuu plays dirty now - no polite requests to duel from him anymore! - one hand reaching for the ring while the other tries to hold Judal in place, but they both know each other's weaknesses too well to avoid their mouths clashing together in an angry, needy kiss.


	47. frozen

okay...I'm finally filling some old prompts...this is from last November so I'm only 11 months late...sorry sweet anon I hope you're still reading my fics? D:

the prompt was **"That's hot! Hot! Hot!"**

* * *

Judal lounges on his sofa, looking more like an oversized housecat than the powerful sorcerer he is, but the icy temperature in the room gives away his specialty and weakness. Hakuryuu pulls his jacket tighter around him before bringing the new fan in.

Judal's eyes light up when he sees Hakuryuu and he sits up. "Hakuryuu! You came back."

"I told you I wouldn't be gone for long," he says patiently, setting the fan next to Judal and joining him on the couch.

"Yeah, but I missed you," Judal whines, scooting closer to the fan. "Fuck, it's been so hot I thought I was gonna melt! I'm too beautiful for this!"

Hakuryuu resists patting his leg to comfort him; that would only be counter-productive. Instead, he gets up to plug in the fan, since it seems like Judal needs it now. It's bad luck that Judal showed up in the middle of summer, and even worse that it's during a terrible heat wave.

As soon as it's plugged in, Judal hits the power button, only to pull his hand back and screech loudly. "That's hot! Hot! Hot! What the fuck?" he yells, cradling his hand tenderly.

"It was in the heat while I was transporting and assembling it," Hakuryuu explains, angling it so it can hopefully provide him some relief.

Judal frowns. "I don't like it."

"I know."

"You should just come home with me," Judal says flippantly. "It's so much nicer there!"

Hakuryuu shakes his head. "I feel like I'd disagree with that."

Judal laughs. "I guess that's fair. Maybe you should be an ice spirit like me, instead of a stupid human."

"I'll work on that," Hakuryuu tells him, and Judal gently takes his hand in his. It's like sticking his hand directly into a blizzard but he's so used to it that the pain melts into affection as he squeezes back softly.


	48. love lost and love found

written for the prompt **"I really hated you in elementary school and I have no idea why"**

* * *

Judal plops down across the table from Hakuryuu in his study room, grinning happily. Hakuryuu glances up from his homework and nods in greeting before getting back to work.

"Guess what!" Judal says, jittering with excitement.

"What?" Hakuryuu asks, only half listening. He'd love to talk to Judal, but he really needs to get this reading done first.

"I figured out why you looked so familiar when we met. We went to school together in first grade," Judal explains, pulling a yearbook out of his bag and flipping it open. "See?"

Hakuryuu looks at it to see a young version of himself on the page, newly scarred and very nervous. It wasn't exactly a good year for him. "I see."

"Yeah, I moved after that year, so that's why we didn't become bffs sooner," he says, obviously proud of himself.

"Where'd you find this?" Hakuryuu asks, staring at the faded page of his former classmates. He doesn't see Judal at first, but he's sure he's there somewhere.

"My parents dropped it off 'cause they found it in the attic of my grandma's restaurant. It must've gotten left behind when we moved," Judal says, shrugging. "You know, I feel like I really hated you in elementary school and I have no idea why."

Hakuryuu's eyes fall on Judal in the yearbook, and he feels a spike of anger at his smug little grin. _Now_ he remembers this. "You said I wasn't allowed to have weird scars," he say dryly, and Judal's face falls.

"Oh _shit_ , that's right," he says, eyes widening in realization. "I was the class freak with my demon eyes, and then _you_ transferred in. It wasn't fair! You couldn't _also_ be the class freak!"

Hakuryuu raises an eyebrow. "Wow, you are just a terrible person."

"Look, I was a little kid and I didn't know how else to be special," Judal explains hastily, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "And I thought you were so cute! It was hard."

"What?"

"You're still cute!" Judal assures him. "But _I'm_ way more dashing and seductive now, so you should totally go out with me." He looks nervous and unsure, and Hakuryuu chuckles.

"How could I say no to someone who called me the rejected class freak?" he asks, watching Judal turn even redder.

"Hakuryuu," he whines.

"That still means yes, you know," Hakuryuu tells him, and Judal's eyes light up. "Now let me finish this so you can take me on a proper date."


	49. on the run

written for the prompt **"We have to be quiet"** for nocturnalboys!

* * *

Hakuryuu wakes up to a pressing weight on his chest, and he starts to panic. What is happening to him? In the dark, he can't see what's crushing him, but it can't be good. He struggles and opens his mouth to yell, but a cool hand clasps over it before he can make any noise.

"Shh. We have to be quiet," a voice whispers, and he groans. Judal. He leans forward, and the limited light in the room glints off his eyes, making the red that much more intense and strange. "Don't struggle."

Hakuryuu bites at his hand in retaliation, and Judal cries out, moving his hand away in shock. "What the _fuck_?"

"Get _off_ me," Hakuryuu snaps. "What is wrong with you?"

Judal doesn't get off him; instead, he squirms closer. "I said quiet. You don't wanna get caught, right?"

Hakuryuu frowns. "What are you even doing here?" he asks, though he doubts he'll get an answer. Judal rarely gives them.

"Waking you up," Judal says simply, which explains nothing. Of course.

"Why?"

"'Cause I figured you'd wanna come with me when I bust outta this joint," he says, lowering his voice even more. This doesn't make sense, either.

"You're trying to leave?" Hakuryuu asks, trying to figure out where Judal is going with this. It doesn't fit: Judal has a perfect life as Al Tharman's golden child. He shouldn't want to leave.

"Of course I am. My entire life is some stupid little game to everyone around me, where I have to follow all their commands without questioning why," he hisses. "And you're the only one who sees through the cracks to the blackened core inside."

The breath catches in Hakuryuu's throat, and it's not from Judal's weight on his chest. Is this how he really feels? There's anger burning in Judal's eyes, bright and familiar, and Hakuryuu wants it to be real. "I see," he manages, but he doesn't know how to convey what he's feeling yet.

"So come with me. Break out of their twisted world and join me," Judal says, fervor rising in his voice despite his attempts to stay quiet. Trusting Judal is a risk. Al Tharman will never let him leave without trying to drag him back, and there's always the chance that this is some sort of trap. But something in him wants to believe Judal, to believe that his childhood friend is still in there somewhere, and it's tempting to go along with him.

"Judal," he begins, trying think about every risk and advantage and the way he's feeling right now so he can express himself properly.

"Please," Judal says softly, and that's enough to make the decision for him.

"You'll have to let me up if you want me to come along," Hakuryuu says, and Judal grins widely. He rolls off Hakuryuu quickly and offers him a hand with a flourish.

"Good choice," Judal says, gripping Hakuryuu's hand tightly, and there's power and promise in it.

This is impulsive, dangerous, and _so_ irresponsible, but he's going for it. Something inside him is telling Hakuryuu that yes, he made the right choice, and he's going to keep pushing forward for that. "I hope so," he tells Judal, and with that he seals his fate. Judal whisks them away into the shadows of the night and they're gone: on the run together as they plan their revenge.


	50. safe haven

written for the prompt **"I'm only here to establish an alibi"** requested by dragonofeternal :D

* * *

Somewhere in every city there's an underground magic community, hidden away from everyone that doesn't need to know about it. Mostly, it's normal people going about their normal lives with a touch of magic helping them out, but the deepest corners are home to the most disreputable shops and meeting places, and young sorcerers are warned away from them.

Judal was never one to listen to suggestions. He's far too powerful to waste away in the monotonous grind of a normal life; he always wants more. And so he dove into the shadows, into a world far more dangerous than he could have been prepared for, and never looked back.

Even when it gets him into trouble, like his current situation. He surveys the mess he's left; sometimes magical assassinations don't go as cleanly as planned. Oh well. Judal hops through a teleportation circle of his own design - untraceable and practically instantaneous - and into a familiar kitchen.

Hakuryuu drops his spatula in shock. "Judal!"

He grins cheekily and waves. "Yo!" This doesn't seem to calm Hakuryuu down much, though that might be 'cause Judal's still covered in blood. Oops.

"What happened to you?" he asks, slowly bending to retrieve his spatula and placing it in the sink.

He shrugs. "Don't worry, it's not _my_ blood. I'm only here to establish an alibi," Judal explains nonchalantly, which once again does nothing to change Hakuryuu's worried expression. Huh.

"I see," Hakuryuu says, obviously not seeing anything at all. "Shouldn't you clean up then?"

Judal smiles brightly. That's more like it! "I'm gonna borrow your shower," he says, slipping off his muddy shoes before he makes his way out of the kitchen. "Are my clothes still in their usual place?"

"Yes," he says with a sigh. "I really wish you would warn me first. If I'd known, I would have made something you'd actually like for dinner."

Judal pauses to kiss his cheek, laughing at the face Hakuryuu makes. "Don't wanna be traced! You know that. But you're sweet."

"Don't kiss me until you don't smell like death," Hakuryuu chides, hiding a smile as he pulls out another spatula.

Judal gives him a thumbs up. "Got it! But that means you owe me a proper one later."

Hakuryuu doesn't disagree, just waves him out of the room, and Judal heads to his shower with a smile still on his face. Everything else in his life might be reliant on the whims of others, but he's always got Hakuryuu.


End file.
